Fence-post



(No Model.)

F. L. PAIRCHILD.

FENCE POST.

No. 409,396. Patented Aug. zo, 1889.

NA PETERS, Pim! mr, wnshugmn, D, c.

UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. FAIROHILD, OF MOUNT VERNON, OHIO.

FENCE-POST.

`SlECIIICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 409,396, dated August20, 1889.

` Application tiled November 14, 1888. Serial No. 290,855. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANK L. FAIRCHILD, of Mount Vernon, in the countyof Knox and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to that kind or" fence-post usually made ofwrought metal, which is combined with a burntclay or pottery base.

It has reference to means for centering and securing the stem of thepost in its base, and also to means for protecting that portion of itwhich is buried in the ground from corrosion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation, partly insection, of my improved post in its simplest form. Fig. 2 is a like Viewof a post provided with means for centering it at top, and also with aslight modification of the means by which it is secured at the bottom.Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. j

The steml A of the post, when made ot wrought metal, as it isrepresented to be in the drawings, can be a channel-bar, or may have a Tor other suitable shape in cross-section.

B is a cap made, preferably, of cast metal or other material not easilyaffected by the corroding influences to which fence-posts are usuallysubjected. It is provided in Fig. 1 on its under side with a dependingflange a, or its equivalent, intended to enter the opening in thepottery or burnt-clay base O, to the top of which the cap is fitted. Thestem A passes through the cap down into the base C, and it is secured tothe cap by suitable meansas, for example, by a bolt b, or rivet passingthrough it, and an ear or lugo on Vthe upper side of Ithe cap. It isalso preferred to still further assure it in position by a stay rod orbrace CZ, bolted or riveted at the bottom to the cap and at the top tothe stem. In order to secure these parts to the base C, I make use orwhat I term a stub end D and a screwcap E.

Wrought metal is readily attacked by moisture and by the other elementswhich it meets when buried in the ground, so that if it be left thusexposed the life-time of the post will be comparatively short. It is tothis end that I have provided the cap E and have combined it withthebase and the stem of the post in the manner illustrated in thedrawings. This screw-cap is made ot some non-corrosivematerialpreferably cast-iron-Which will resist the action of theelements for an indefinite length of time. For the same reason I muchprefer to make the stub end D of cast metal also, although this perhapsis not quite so essential. This stub end forms, in eieci', part of thestem.

The stub end is formed at its upper end, so that it may readily beattached to the stem of the post by bolting or riveting, as shown, andits lower end, which projects through the opening in the bottom of baseC, is screwthreaded. Upon this screw-threaded end theinternally-screwthreaded cast-metal cap is screwed from below the bottomof the base, thus drawing the parts tightly together and closing thebase against entrance of moisture into its interior from the bottom. Tomore effectually close and seal this joint, I prefer to interposebetween the screw-cap and the base a lead or other soft-metal Washer e,or the joint may be sealed with pitch or other water-proof material.` Inlieu of the screwcap a cast-metal nut might be used. By the use of thestub end D, I am enabled to make the hole in the base through which itpasses of smaller size than that which receives the stem of the post, asseen in Fig. I; but this hole in the base may be of the same diameterthroughout, as seen in Fig. 2. In this event I may make the screw cap ornut of sufficient size to cover the hole; but .as there would be someditiiculty in making a perfectly tight joint under these circumstancesdirectly between the base and the screw-cap I prefer to interposebetween the two a castmetal washer f, which covers the hole in thebottom of the base and is provided with a central hole of smallerdiameter for the passage of the screwthreaded'stub end. Gaskets of leador other similar metal are interposed between the base and thecast-metal washer and between the latter and the screw-cap- If desired,pitch or other water-proof material can also be poured into the base C,so as to seal it at the bottom and on the sides also, if desired; butthis generally will not be found necessary.

IOO

In order to make a cheap, easily manipulated, and practically availablefence-post having amet-al stem anda burnt-clay or pottery base, it isessential that the stem at its lower end shall project through thebottom of the base and shall have applied to this projecting end afastening device by whichit is held rmly in place and prevented fromupward movement in the base. In this construction it is equallyessential that there should be between these parts an air-tight andwater-tight joint, which will exclude absolutely the entrance ofmoisture and the like through the bottom into the base. It' this bedone, the post is practically indestructible. IVithout it thepottery-base, although in itself unaffected by the action of theelements, is practically of no avail.

In case a wooden stem or upright is desired, this wooden portion can bebolted or otherwise secured to the cap B, while the stub end D canextend down from the latter (to which it may be secured in anyconvenient manner)v through the base, to a position where itsscrew-threaded vend can be taken by the screw-cap E, as hcreinbeforcindicated. Obviously the same construction might be availed of if thestem were of metal instead of wood; but where the stem is of metal it ispreferred that it shall extend down into the base, as indicated in thedrawings.

The upper or exposed part of the post should preferably be galvanized orprovided with a non-corrosive coating. The screw-cap E can be made ofany desired size and thickness, and in connection with theindestructible pottery-base it serves to make a post which will last inthe ground without material deterioration, indefinitely.

Pottery or clay bases when burnt shrink variably, so that it isdesirable to provide means by which the cap B and its attached stem canbe centered and put in proper position with respect to the base, to beheld by the screw-cap at the bottom. One way of effecting this result(typical of a number of ways of getting at the same result) isillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The cap B in these figures has adownwardly-depending flange g, which enters the hole in the base on oneside, and has a preferably vertical rib t', which is intended to enter acorresponding groove g2 in the interior wall of the base. On theopposite side is a slide B which rests on the top of the base andextends out through a recess in the cap. On its inner end this slide hasa depending flange h, corresponding to flange g, and, like the latter,has a rib h', to enter a groove h2 in the interior wall of the base. Abolt fi passes through a lug t" on the top of the slide and thenceprojects out through the side of the cap B. Upon this screw-threadedprojecting end of the bolt is a nut '7'. After the cap is placed uponthe base then by tightening the nutj the flanges g 7L will be spreadapart against the interior of the base and will then hold the cap andstem firmly in place against lateral movement. In other words, the capby this means has an adjustable liange which can be expanded andcontracted so as to tightly iit and clasp any base. In the drawings thisis represented as being attained by pressure against the interior of thebase; but manifestly the same result can be arrived at by clasping thebase upon its exterior. Vhat is essential is that the cap should haveone stationary or fixed bearing-piece answering to the part g, and thatthere should be connected to it or to the stem a movable and adjustablebearing by means of which the cap shall be held firmly against lateralmovement.

Having described my improvement, what I claim herein as new and of myown invention is as follows:

l. A fence-post comprising, in combination, the post-stem, the cap, thepottery or burntclay base, the screw-threaded stub end, and theinternally-screW-threaded coveringcap applied to the stub end from theunderside of the base, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the post-stein, the burnt-clay or pottery base, aseparate or removable stub end for the stem, and a fastening deviceapplied to the stub end from the under side of the base, substantiallyas hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination, with the burnt-clay base, of the post-stem having ascrew-threaded lower end, and the internally-screw-threaded covering-capmade of cast-iron or otherpractically non-corrosive metal applied to thesaid end of the stem from the bottom of the base, and acting to coverthe exposed end of the stem and to close the base at the bottom, as andfor the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

et. In combination with the base and the post-stem, the cap providedwith bearings or projecting pieces adj nstable to and from each otherand adapted to take against opposite sides of the base, substantially ashercinbefore set forth.

5. The burntclay or pottery base made hollow and having an opening atits bottom, and the wrought-metal post-stem inserted in the base andprojecting at its lower end through the openingin the bottom of thebase,

IDO

IIS

in combination with the cap or fastener applied. to the said projectingend from the nnder side of the base, and the soft-metal washerinterposed between said fastener and the base, whereby the stem isprotected and the bottom is scaled air and water tight, as and for thepurposes hcreinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day ofNovember, 1888.

FRANK L. FAIRCHILD. Vitnesses:

A. S. COLE, S. E. FAIRCHILD.

